“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5.7, ESV)¹

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¹Jesus has called His disciples to be merciful toward those who have sinned against us. The reason being is because “as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Col. 3.13b, ESV).

Jesus told the apostles a story of a man who would not forgive (Read Matt. 18.21-35). Notice that mercy will not be shown to the person who does not show mercy. This is parallel to Jesus’ words, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6.14-15, ESV).

Are you holding a grudge? Are you bitter inside? Let us help you overcome these things. Only when one forgives is there true peace! E-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905 to learn more!

"And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." (Matthew 19.9, ESV)¹

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¹We live in a society where divorce is rampant. God never intended for that. He desires one man and one woman to be married for life (Gen. 2.24; Matt. 19.6, etc.).

Because of emotions, the desire for companionship, and ultimately a rejection of truth, among many other things, men and women marry and divorce at their will without consulting God’s will on the matter.

Matthew 19.9 is one of the simplest verses in the Bible, though it may be the hardest to practice. Simply put, we only have one exception for divorce: sexual immorality. This includes any illicit sex outside of a scriptural marriage. To divorce for any other reason is to separate what God has joined together and thereby transgress His will.

Have you divorced your spouse for reasons other than what Jesus said? Make that right today! Paul said to either remain unmarried or be reconciled to your spouse (1 Cor. 7.10-11).

If you have questions about marriage and divorce, please e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3.16, ESV)¹

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¹John 3.16 is a verse that is loved by all in the religious world. In fact, it is the gospel (good news) message in a nutshell. Unfortunately, too many people distort this wonderful verse and teach something Jesus does not mean.

First, some teach that one must simply believe in Christ (as in a mental faith that Jesus lived and died for us), and secondly, that this belief (mental faith) is all one needs to be saved. While it is true that Jesus said we must believe to be saved, surely no one would exclude repentance from our sins, confession of our faith that we believe in Jesus, baptism in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and obedience and faithfulness to His will for the rest of our lives (Acts 17.30-31; Rom. 10.9-10; Acts 2.38; Luke 6.46).

Simply put, the believer of John 3.16 is obedient to Christ in all that He commands or he is not the believer Jesus is speaking about!

Will you obey Jesus today?

‘G’od so loved the world, that he gave his

‘O’nly

‘S’on that whoever believes in him should not

‘P’erish but have

‘E’ternal

‘L’ife

That’s the GOSPEL!

If you’re interested in learning more about the gospel, e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1.22, ESV)¹

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¹Tonight may be the last night of our meeting, but there is much work to be done. First, we must take what we have learned and internalize it and let it dwell in our hearts, and second, we must apply it to our lives.

Let us be blunt. What is the purpose of this gospel meeting if we are not going to practice what we have learned? To learn about God’s will and refuse to seek to better ourselves is fruitless in the kingdom and destructive to our souls!

Therefore, James taught, “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1.21-25).

If you are interested in learning more about God’s will and how to apply the gospel to your life, e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." (Colossians 4.2, ESV)¹

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¹There are many things we are to be watchful for. For example, we are to be on alert concerning the devil and his ways (1 Peter 5.8), the coming of the Lord (1 Thess. 5.6), and in our preaching and teaching (2 Tim. 4.5 "watchful" NKJV). The apostles warned that this world, anxiety, sin, etc. would be a distraction to our focus on heavenly things. Therefore, it is vital that we keep our hearts pure, our minds filled with Christ and His word, and eyes fixed on the hope of heaven.

Besides the things mentioned above, God wants us to be watchful in prayer coupled with thanksgiving. It is obvious that prayer is an important role in our daily lives as Christians. It is one way to show our trust in God and to keep ourselves anxiety-free and spiritually focused. However, this raises the question: "If our prayer is not coupled with thanksgiving to God for all that He has done, can we really stay focused and alert as we should?"

Paul taught that once man began to suppress the truth, that man did not see fit to honor God and thank Him (Rom. 1.18-23). While this passage speaks about those who have sinned and ultimately rejected God, it shows the progression of those who enjoy God's blessings and yet do not see fit to continually thank Him for them. Remember when Jesus healed ten lepers and only one returned to thank Him (Luke 17.11-19)? Ingratitude is an indicator of an ungodly attitude! Let us make sure that we are the one that returns to praise God and we do so as we are diligent and watchful in prayer!

If you're interested in learning more about being sober-minded, spiritually alert, and thankful in prayer to God, e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.